"Jenson (Button) has been with a lot of teams, for instance. It's different when you are in one of the top teams already, though. It (moving) would be tough to do," he said.

Teammate Button commented: "It's unusual for a driver to spend all his career with the same team, but Lewis is racing for a team that has belief in him and will do everything they can to make sure he has a quick car."

81-year-old F1 chief executive Ecclestone said in no uncertain terms that the convicted former banker's bribery claims are "wrong".

"It's false," Ecclestone is quoted by the German news magazine Focus.

"The court did what it needed to do ... but the man is lying," he insisted.

Ecclestone has said consistently he paid Gribkowsky the millions because he was being "shaken down" relating to his British tax affairs.

"I am a businessman," said the Briton. "I am always weighing up between opportunity, risk and hassle."

Although there are rumors some in the sport are nervous about the potential association with corruption, Ecclestone said his removal as F1's chief executive would be counterproductive.

"For over 40 years," said Ecclestone, his partners have "trusted my handshake".

"There are no corrupt practices in formula one," he insisted.

Ecclestone also denied the link between the scandal and F1's delayed floatation, even if he admits the Gribkowsky situation has been "not very helpful".

FIA tells Vettel to mind his manners - report(GMM) Sebastian Vettel has been warned to watch his manners, according to Germany's Kolner Express newspaper.

After Valencia, where following his retirement the Red Bull driver admitted he suspected a conspiracy, German motor sport association president Hans-Joachim Stuck said Vettel needed to be careful about being cited for "unsportsmanlike conduct".

Vettel had suggested the safety car was called onto the Spanish circuit chiefly to cut his huge lead.

"Sebastian Vettel should learn to be a good loser," said Stuck.

The Cologne tabloid Express said Vettel's theory did not escape the attention of the governing FIA, who have placed the reigning world champion on a sort of unofficial 'probation'.

Already in 2012, Vettel is said to have caught Jean Todt's attention with his "cucumber" insults against backmarker Narain Karthikeyan.

"We know that, quite often, Vettel speaks roughly after disappointments, which is not a good example," an unnamed FIA official is quoted as saying.

Manners or not, Jenson Button described Vettel's qualifying and race pace until his retirement with a failed alternator in Valencia as "scary".

McLaren's Button had been asked about the widespread praise of Fernando Alonso following the Spaniard's Valencia win, including Lewis Hamilton's description of the Ferrari driver as "phenomenal".

"The pace that Sebastian had (in Valencia) was amazing. He was on fire. He had such a massive difference in pace to the rest of the field and we haven't seen that for a while," said Button.

Unlucky Button aims to end Silverstone 'jinx'(GMM) In his 13th consecutive season and stranded on 13 race wins, Jenson Button is hoping to finally end his Silverstone "jinx" this weekend.

The McLaren driver has been caught in a performance slump recently, but he refused to tell British reporters that outright victory at his home grand prix in 2012 is unlikely.

Statistically, however, Silverstone success is unlikely for the 32-year-old, given that since debuting in 2000, not a single meter of his 56,000 kilometers during grands prix have been spent in the lead on his home track.

In fact, he has never even been on the podium at the end of a British grand prix.

He admits that, having tried and failed at the wheel of Williams, Benetton, BAR, Honda, title-winning Brawn and McLaren cars, the fact his best finish is fourth is strange.

Asked if he feels jinxed in his 13th F1 season, Button answered: "I seem to have had (a jinx) for the past four races, so I'm hoping now the British grand prix is coming up it will turn around and be the opposite for me.

"I wouldn't say it's a jinx," he added. "I think we've just been unlucky at times and not had the car at other times."

Promoter confirms Spa race alternation idea off(GMM) The boss of the Belgian grand prix has confirmed reports the once-touted race alternation with France is now off the agenda.

It had been suggested fabled Spa-Francorchamps would share an annually-rotating single date on the F1 calendar in future with a returning French race.

But after Nicolas Sarkozy lost the recent general election, those plans appeared to lose traction.

And late last week, the Belgian and French news agencies Belga and AFP suggested the Spa/Paul Ricard alternating scheme is indeed "no longer on the agenda".

"The election of Francois Hollande to the French presidency has changed the situation," Spa promoter Andre Maes is quoted by the French language Belgian newspaper L'Echo.

He said it "became clear" that France's new administration has different plans.

"Hence, the (new) proposal we made to Mr. Ecclestone," said Maes. "But I am bound by a confidentiality clause, so I cannot tell you."

L'Echo reports that Spa has proposed that the Belgian grand prix contract simply be extended to 2016, possibly with Ecclestone to agree a slight reduction in the race sanctioning fee.

FIA extends 2013 cost rules deadline to July - reports(GMM) The FIA has reportedly extended a deadline for radical cost-cutting in formula one.

On the eve of Saturday's June 30 deadline, we reported that the prospect of cost-cutting was hanging in the balance as F1 teams dithered over the shape of the proposals.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport had reported the high risk that June 30 would come and go without significant reforms being put to the World Motor Sport Council.

Indeed, that was the case, raising the prospect that - post June 30 - rule changes would be highly unlikely for 2013 due to the need for total unanimity.

However, citing a British source, the German news agency DPA and the Financial Times Deutschland reports that the FIA has now extended the original June 30 deadline until late this month.

It means that rules proposed by only two thirds of the teams can still be introduced for 2013, so long as the World Council can vote on the changes by July 24.

Copyright 1999-2016 | AutoRacing1 is an
independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed
by IndyCar, NASCAR, FIA, Sprint, or any other series sponsor.
This material may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed without
permission.